advanced reading copy of ADOPTING GRACE
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minutes of connection as we talked of birthdays and the death of her mother. We experienced honest human connection. There was nothing at all to fear. What is it that has quelled the damning voices inside my mind? It is the face-to-face, friend- to- friend interactions with “others” that has led the way. They are in fact not “others” at all. Which of us has not changed our hearts and minds about a particular prejudice toward a “type” of person after truly getting to know them, one individual at a time? When I keep “the other” at arm’s length, then I am comfortable fearing or disparaging entire groups of people, even if it is just within my mind. When I label another as poor, homeless, Muslim, gay, transgender, liberal, conservative, or any other adjective, then I give up the option to truly listen to and interact with someone as my fellow human. It is in the midst of everyday interactions and conversations that my heart and mind open up to change. Within family, when someone we love reveals being part of a previously feared or disdained group, we almost always move forward together given time, communication, understanding, and true love. It is rare to truly renounce someone we love over such matters. When rejection of a loved one is the choice, there is always great pain, suffering, and destruction within the one scorned as well as the larger family or community. Kent Annan, author on the topic of faith and justice, says it this way: “It’s vital for us to enter into the truth ADOPTING GRACE ADVANCED READING COPY 149